The evolving Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard for implementing wireless networks now incorporates multiple spectrum bands. Multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) access points with multiple transmitters corresponding to the multiple spectrum bands have been developed to address the evolving standard. Having multiple transmitters increases the link reliability of an access point, as well as the data rate. However, a MIMO access point requires higher levels of DC power to support the extra transmitters.
When the DC power supply is limited, effective operation of a MIMO access point becomes challenging. For example, a reduction in power supplied to a transmitter results in a lower effective throughput for the transmitter. A reduction in power supplied to a transmitter may also negatively impact the signal linearity, which results in lower antenna gain and, in turn, reduces the access point's range. Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) is one example in which the power supplied to an access point may be limited. In such a case, the transmitters of the access point share a limited amount of power supplied over the Ethernet cable. DC power consumption by a MIMO access point peaks when multiple transmitters are transmitting at the same time. Thus, when multiple transmitters of a MIMO access point receive limited power over an Ethernet cable and attempt to transmit simultaneously, each transmitter may experience a reduction in power.